How We Operate
by LemonDropAnyone
Summary: Harry is at Hermione's for Christmas. Ice skating brings out feelings the two of them kept secret.


**A/N:** Well, I've thought about something like this for a short while. And, because the weather is still cold even though it's supposed to be warm I thought it might go along somewhat with the season. It's sort of fluffy, but it's funny too. And of course, it's H/Hr.

**Quick background:** Christmas Break in 7th year and there's no Voldemort. Our favorite couple is at Hermione's house. They aren't dating yet!

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"Harry?" Hermione's voice called from downstairs in her kitchen. Footsteps were heard and soon enough, Harry came into her view.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, giving his full attention to her. He had become so much more laidback since the defeat of Voldemort the summer before their seventh year. Not only had he calmed down, he got even more handsome, if that was possible. He had an average height of 6'0'' and was well built in the torso and almost as well in the lower body.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Hermione asked, looking at her best friend. Harry thought for a moment before walking to Hermione so he could wrap his arms around his waist.

"Spending time with you," he said sweetly as be kissed her forehead. Hermione leaned her head into his chest.

"Do you want to spend time with me at the ice rink then?" Hermione asked, her voice slightly muffled because of his chest.

"Sure," Harry said, a little hesitant. Hermione pulled her head back but didn't step out of his embrace.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing is wrong, I've just never ice skated before," Harry said.

"Then I'll teach you. I promise it'll be fun," Hermione said.

"Okay," Harry agreed. Hermione smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. He broke their embrace and Hermione darted into the living room to tell her parents and invite them if they wanted to come. In the meantime, Harry went upstairs and changed his clothes into something decent for public. He chose a pair of comfortable jeans, a long-sleeved Gryffindor shirt and a grey Manchester United hoodie to go over it. He laced his trainers up and grabbed his wand and wallet before he went back downstairs.

"Ready to go?" Hermione asked him as he received his winter coat out of the hall closet.

"Not really," Harry replied. Hermione laughed. She hadn't seen Harry so worried before with the exception of the Third Task in the Triwizard Tournament.

"It'll be fun, I promise," Hermione said, taking his hand as they stepped out of the house. Hermione's parents followed behind slightly. "The rink is a couple blocks away. Walking there is part of the fun." Harry smiled and shrugged.

"If you're happy I'm happy," he said. Hermione smiled and they continued walking to the rink.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Cross those two laces over and you're done," Hermione said as she taught Harry how to lace up his skates. "Good to go?" Harry looked out at the rink full of people and a few couples here and there.

"Sure," he said. His voice was normally a smooth baritone, but at that moment it was an octave or two higher.

"The worst that can happen is you falling and hitting the ice," she said, an amused smile on her face. "Now come on." She followed behind her parents who had waited for the two teens.

Harry pathetically followed Hermione on to the ice, trying his best not to topple over. The second his skate hit the ice though, Harry realized that his efforts to balance would be useless, and he fell right over, sliding a few feet to the right of the entrance. Hermione knew she shouldn't have, but she burst into laughter.

"Yeah, very funny," Harry said, grumbling slightly. "Hilarious; I don't know why _I'm _not laughing." Behind the two, William and Elizabeth Granger laughed.

"I'm sorry, but it's funny. You can balance in the air on a broom, but you can't balance on skates that aren't even an inch off the ground," Hermione said. Harry looked at her, clearly not finding the humor and hoisted himself up with the help of the wall. Hermione smiled, but didn't laugh.

"Like I said, falling is the only thing that can happen," Hermione said. Harry took a deep breath and held onto the wall.

"Let me catch you," Hermione said, looking at Harry. Harry raised an eyebrow at her.

"And take you down with me? I don't think so," Harry said. Hermione laughed.

"You won't take me down," she said. "Here." She offered her hands to Harry. Cautiously, Harry accepted Hermione's offer. Standing in front of him, Hermione skated backwards, occasionally looking behind her to make sure she wasn't going to run into anyone.

"You can skate backwards?" Harry asked.

"Since I was eight," Hermione said. Harry, who was finding it hard to believe anyone could skate backwards, let alone skate forward, raised his eyebrows. Clearly, he was impressed.

"How much do you know about skating? Harry asked her.

"Not much. I just like it a lot," Hermione said. "When I was little I took lessons on how to skate and do moves and such, but I never practiced them enough to master them." They skated a bit further before Hermione stopped.

"Are you used to the ice?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Okay now push off of your right foot. Good, now the left. Good, just alternate between each foot and you'll be fine." Harry went a little further before he got hang of it.

"This is fun," he said, grinning at Hermione.

"I told you it would be," she said. Many of the older people that knew Hermione, which was basically all of them (it was a small town), smiled at the two.

"How cute," said Angela Smithers, as she skated up next to her long-time friend and neighbor, Elizabeth. Hermione's mum smiled. She had known Hermione since she was born and it was nice to see that she had brought a boy home with her for Christmas.

"They're absolutely adorable together," Elizabeth said, as she held her husband's hand and talked to Angela.

"Are they together?" Angela asked. Elizabeth shook her head.

"Not yet, but it'll probably happen soon," she said, looking over at her daughter and Harry, who were skating hand in hand.

"Hermione?" Harry asked as they skated around the rink at a comfortable pace. She looked up at him.

"Yeah?" she replied. Harry stopped for a moment.

"Do you like Ron?" Harry asked. Hermione blinked and looked at Harry with a perplexed facial expression. Before long, that expression broke and she burst into laughter again.

"Are you serious?" she asked. Harry looked at her.

"Yeah," he said.

"No," she said. "I don't like Ron at all. He's like my brother." Harry stayed quiet.

"Did you like him at some point?" he asked. Hermione shrugged.

"The thought floated through my mind around third and fourth year but went away," she said. "I wouldn't want to date him."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"It's not that there's something wrong with him, because there isn't. He's just not my type," Hermione said.

"What is your type?" Harry asked her.

"A guy that I can go to for anything, no matter what it is and someone who will be there for me when I need him the most and even when I don't think I need him. He's got to have a good sense of humor but he needs to know when to be sensitive and serious too. I'd like him to be sweet and caring and intelligent…spontaneous, but at the same time predictable. I would hope that he would know he could trust me and that I'd be faithful and I don't want to argue over every little thing we do. I just want a guy I can be my self around and who will love me for me," Hermione said. Harry went to speak, but bit back his question.

"Don't get me wrong…Ron is some of those things but he's just not…_that guy_. He doesn't make me go weak in the knees every time I see him or hear his voice," she said.

"Not your stereotypical tall, dark and handsome then?" Harry said teasingly. "Maybe not your knight in shining armor either." Hermione laughed.

"It wouldn't hurt if he were those too, but it isn't just about his looks or what he's capable of. It's about his personality. I look at someone's personality before I look at their appearance," Hermione replied.

"That's nice that you don't judge a guy on his looks," Harry said. Hermione shrugged.

"It's just how I was taught," she said. She held his hand a little tighter. "What about you and Ginny? Did you get back together?" An amused smile came over Harry's face.

"No. She wanted to though," he said. "But after the war and everything that I went through I just wasn't the same person I was before when we dated. Sometimes I think back to the war and the things we went through and this feeling sort of surges through me. It scares me, and I wouldn't ever want to hurt her. I still have nightmares, but they don't come as often. I only know one person who can deal with it all…make it better."

"Who?" Hermione asked softly. Harry looked down at her.

"You," he said. He bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. A small smile formed on Hermione's lips.

"You're my best friend. I care about you," Hermione said. "I love you." Harry raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her.

"Yeah? I love you too," he said. He took his hand from hers and placed it over her shoulders and he pulled her to his side. After he dropped his kiss to the top of her head, he went back to holding her hand.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Are you kids ready to go?" Elizabeth asked. William was standing next to her, and slightly behind the couple was Angela and her husband.

"Yeah, we're good to go," Harry answered. The six of them left the skating rink and went back to the house. Angela and her husband said their goodbyes to the Grangers and Harry and went to their house.

"I'm going to go get changed into something comfortable," Hermione said to Harry once they had hung up their coats. Harry nodded and Hermione climbed the stairs to her room. Thinking about getting into his pajamas and drinking hot chocolate, Harry went to his room and changed into his pajama pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. He went back downstairs and into the kitchen before he began making two cups of hot chocolate.

Hermione came back down and entered the kitchen. As Harry turned around to hand her the cup of hot chocolate he had made her, his breath caught. Though she was in her pajamas, she was gorgeous. Then again, he thought she was always gorgeous.

"Harry?" Hermione asked. "Are you okay?" Harry blinked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he said. "Here, I made you some hot chocolate." She took the mug from him and stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek.

"Thanks," she said. She walked into the living room and sat on the couch as she set her drink down on the coffee table. Harry stood in the kitchen a moment longer before he followed his best friend.

"Ice skating was fun today. Thank you for teaching me," Harry said as he sat on the couch. He put his feet on the couch so that his thighs were against his chest and he put his arms over the top of his knees. His head rested on top of his arms. Hermione smiled at Harry.

"You're welcome. Thank you for going with me," she said.

"If it makes you happy it makes me happy," Harry said. A small smile formed on her lips. Harry's green eyes met Hermione's brown ones and for a second neither of them moved their focus.

"Earlier this evening, when I said I loved you," Harry said softly. He stopped for a second, but continued. "I really meant it. I love you."

"And I really meant it when I said I loved you," Hermione replied. Harry sat there for a minute before he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. Instantly, Hermione responded to Harry's kiss. Her kiss was everything Harry had ever thought it would be and a happy warmth spread through him.

Hermione broke their kiss and leaned back to look at him. For a moment, Hermione seemed to be studying him but then she leaned in and kissed him again.

"I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too," Harry said. Harry scooted closer to Hermione, but neither of them extracted themselves from their comfortable positions on the couch. Just being close to one another was enough. The fire in front of the two teens crackled and danced behind both of their eyes. And for the rest of the night the two of them sat there in comfortable silence.

-FIN-

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Well, just another one-shot I came up with. You see, these small plot bunnies pop into my head at school when I'm switching classes and when I have my iPod on. But my actual stories, like How to Save a Life, are never my main focuses. That makes absolutely no sense to me.

Believe me when I say I have definitely not given up on that story. The 7th chapter will be out as soon as possible. I only have about 5 more pages to write and it will be ready.

Thanks for reading. LemonDropAnyone. 6 pages.


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